This invention relates to a container or cassette for storing items within and having a mechanism for indicating when unauthorized opening of the container has taken place. Such a container may, for example, be a cassette for storing currency therein, designed for use in an automated teller machine (ATM) which is capable of automatic dispensing of currency in response to the direction of a customer who provides proper identification and directions for a withdrawal from the customer's account.
Currency cassettes used with automated teller machines are frequently provided with two openings and complementary doors. Currency is loaded into the cassette through a first opening which may be in the top of the cassette, and is dispensed through a second opening, which may be at one end of the cassette. With the cassette operatively positioned within the ATM, the door of the second opening is held open, and a picker mechanism of the ATM picks one bill at a time from the cassette for dispensing by the ATM. Such a cassette is, for example, shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 522,449, filed Aug. 12, 1983, inventors Robert H. Granzow et al., assigned to the assignee of the present application, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,119, issued July 16, 1985. A similar cassette is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,667, issued June 30, 1981, inventor Graham H. Hilton.
Other cassettes of various types having tamper indicating and/or prevention mechanisms are disclosed in U.S. application Ser. No. 509,488, filed June 30, 1983, inventors Keir et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,260, issued Apr. 2, 1985, and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 522,448, filed Aug. 12, 1983, inventors Granzow et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,118, issued July 16, 1985, both assigned to the assignee of the present application.
Loading of cassettes with currency is normally done at a central location, such as a central bank. The upper door or lid is then closed and may be secured, as by a seal, for example, which would reveal any unauthorized attempt to open the cassette. The cassettes may then be transported to ATMs at remote locations by appropriate conveyance, such as an armored truck. After the currency in a cassette has been exhausted, or substantially exhausted, it is transported back to the central location for reloading.
In order to minimize the likelihood of unauthorized opening of the second door of a cassette to extract currency through the associated opening, it is desirable to provide some type of security feature which will either prevent the unauthorized opening of said second door, or will provide some indication that such an unauthorized opening has taken place. On the other hand, it is necessary to permit at least one opening of said second door to permit said door to open at the time the cassette is first inserted into its ATM for currency dispensing.
To meet this need, various types of "secure" cassettes have been developed. These "secure" cassettes generally have mechanical or electrical systems which prevent unauthorized access into the cassette by such persons as the persons delivering the cassettes to the ATMs and the persons installing the cassettes in the ATMs.
In one prior-art cassette, for example, as shown in the previously-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,667, the door associated with the opening through which currency passes for dispensing by the ATM is locked in a closed position after the cassette is loaded with currency, and during transit to the ATM in which it is to be used. As the cassette is moved into engagement with the ATM, the door is opened by engagement with protruding elements of the ATM, in order to permit the ATM to extract currency from the cassette. When the number of bills remaining in the cassette decreases to a predetermined minimum, an authorized person removes the cassette from the ATM, and it is sent back to the central location for reloading.
As the cassette is removed from the ATM, the door closes and is latched in the closed position before the cassette is completely removed from the ATM. The cassette is constructed so that the door associated with the bill dispensing opening may be opened once, as when it is inserted into the ATM. When it is removed from the ATM, it is latched, as previously mentioned, and must then be returned to the central location for opening and refilling.
The above arrangement prevents unauthorized access to the cassette, but is somewhat lacking in flexibility. For example, it may sometimes be necessary to remove the cassette from the ATM in order to clear currency jams. A cassette having the above construction would then have to be sent back to the central location for service, even though the currency therein was not exhausted, since the door to the currency exit opening would be latched and could not be opened again without service.
In a second type of cassette, such as is disclosed in the previously cited U.S. patent application Ser. No. 522,449, the door in question can be opened a predetermined number of times before it becomes latched shut. The number of times that the door has been opened is shown on an indicator in the cassette. A requirement can be made, by the bank or other institutions using the cassette, that a written explanation be provided each time the door is opened, thus maintaining a degree of security in connection with use of the cassette.
It will be noted that both of the above arrangements involve a latching of the currency exit door after one or more openings of said door. In some instances, it may be desirable to provide some degree of cassette security without any latching of the cassette door. One advantage of such an arrangement is lower cost and decreased complexity for such a cassette. A second advantage is the elimination of possible damage to an ATM or a cassette which might otherwise take place during an attempt to force a latched cassette into an ATM.